1. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: Can you generate a list of questions that will elicit detailed and informative responses (something beyond just ʻyesʼ or ʻnoʼ)? What do you think this subject wants to say? What do you want to elicit or discover, what are your intentions?
While this piece isn’t necessarily an interview per say, it does involve a variety of people talking about the subject. The intent behind the questions is to provide a framework on which the video will progress, as it examines nerd culture and people’s opinions of it.
2. SHOT LIST: Generate a list of all the shots that you envision producing. Think about your primary sources – action shots, interviews, location shots, etc. – but also remember to consider “B roll” material – secondary material that might help create context, add visual variety, or more depth to your subject.
Shot list? It will consist of mostly various question/short clips of people talking about nerds. There will also be an incorporation of the history of the word nerd, which most likely some narration of some sort. Other than that, the point of the video was to ultimately break stereotypes, and I believe the best way to do that is to just show them as they are.
3. STYLE + ELEMENTS: As you generate your shot list, revisit the issue of style. Think again about locations, lighting, props. Think carefully about audio. Will you use the audio captured by the camcorder? Replace it with something else? Add other elements to it? Make a list of all the elements that need to be assembled, accessed, and/or considered.
Style/elements? The style will be rather interesting. While I wish I could have used a tripod for all of my shots, due to the fact that I had to be extremely portable during filming, I was unable to bring it along. As such, the video may have a more edgier feel to it since the interactions with other people will seem more “real” and less planned. As a whole, I don’t plan on manipulating what the people say on film too much, but rather somehow connect everything together into a cohesive piece that tells a certain story without abrupt transitions or overuse of intermission texts.
4. STORYBOARD: Can you make a visual representation of what you see in your mind? Can you describe the narrative structure with the use of key image frames in the sequence. Can you represent the beginning, end, and other pivotal moments – the narrative arc – of the piece by using a sequence of still images. Can you describe the audio track(s) and transitions with words, and in relation to images?
Storyboard: It will start off as some stereotypes of nerds. Which will then delve into the history of the word, its usage and evolution of meaning until today. Mostly a lot of clips of various “nerds” and attempting to portray them as regular people rather than the caricatured view of nerds.
5. COMPOSITION + FORM: As you start to visual your project, and begin to assemble the media elements for your composition, consider these choices in relation to the content you are trying to convey. Why are you making these choices? Do they support your intent and what you are trying to communicate?
I guess the media I’m paying the most attention to is the intro music and how to introduce the topic of the video. I have a (somewhat) lengthy shot of a bunch of my friends playing guesstures with a set music in the background. The intended purpose of this opening was to provide a scene of what some would consider to be a “nerdy” activity and to just show them enjoying themselves. The type of music used will definitely affect how people perceive the intro.
6. IN THE FIELD: Document your shooting and production process. What worked well? What didnʼt? Take notes on the scenes you shoot, all your various shots. Are there particular shots that you feel particularly excited about? Where there any surprises? Happy accidents?
The shooting process unfortunately was not planned out as well as it could have been. Due to scheduling and time conflicts most scenes were shot whenever permitted. Thus, most scenes are rather choppy and you can easily tell the camera is handheld. While this annoyed me at first (and still does to a certain extent), I kind of like the edgier feel of how the footage turned out. While you can obviously tell that the filming was done rather poorly (sometimes the camera actually moves or shakes as I adjust position), the overall effect on the film wasn’t excessive, and in some cases actually gave the film more personality. There weren’t any particularly cool shots that stuck out in my mind, although there were a few bad shots that I wish I could retake for their contents.
7. REFLECTION: Capture your thoughts and feelings. How are you feeling about the project
so far? What have you learned?
My feeling about the project is mostly that I don’t have enough time. Just like my last video, except this time I’m extremely stressed out. I wish I had more time to actually flesh out the entire video, but I have to balance out many other commitments at the same time. However, despite all this, I feel like the video is coming along fairly well. It can be better, as always, but I’m not entirely disappointed with what I have so far.
Bring me Java, Bring me Joy 